tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post4954489397013175827..comments2015-03-03T15:10:38.499-05:00Comments on Linda's Bees: Tom Seeley on Bees and Mites in the ForestLinda Tnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-31519106293181828432014-06-11T20:29:51.674-04:002014-06-11T20:29:51.674-04:00I know of a hive that lives in the side of an old ...I know of a hive that lives in the side of an old house been living in house for many years and are still there this yearBrian Uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11757409022432450819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-89821161097835731872014-06-11T20:24:52.433-04:002014-06-11T20:24:52.433-04:00Mite cause the bee to now need our help. Until the...Mite cause the bee to now need our help. Until they adjust to this symbiotic relationship with the mite. I remember as boy find bee tree all old house hives that last for many years without dieing out. The mBrian Uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11757409022432450819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-84414424095952807762014-06-11T20:19:16.959-04:002014-06-11T20:19:16.959-04:00Eropean bee have what would seem comparable climat...Eropean bee have what would seem comparable climate as the USA at least the part in the northern hempspere. Mite came from Asia.Brian Uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11757409022432450819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-55108119732790815792013-05-19T10:11:44.620-04:002013-05-19T10:11:44.620-04:00I will email Dr. Seeley, Linda! As for feral colon...I will email Dr. Seeley, Linda! As for feral colonies, perhaps they exist in the USA...here in Canada the bee scientists I have consulted feel they are all gone from the cold winter areas and the jury is out on whether the small pockets of warm winter areas have truly feral colonies or just are restocked from swarms off apiaries. I think there may be ferals in our locale, although no one has checked carefully...I was given a box of bees that successfully survived an entire calendar year in a single deep with no beekeeping at all. The original queen was still there, to my surprise. They came through the winter very strong, indicating that **some** bees must have the ability to survive mites.WesternWilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12765821422247317378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-21638293026017610452013-05-16T22:52:54.602-04:002013-05-16T22:52:54.602-04:00thanks, Colleen. Good for you for experimenting w...thanks, Colleen. Good for you for experimenting with the craft sticks!<br /><br />Linda Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-46106601155322988272013-05-16T17:19:35.249-04:002013-05-16T17:19:35.249-04:00That was a great lecture and so was yours Linda, w...That was a great lecture and so was yours Linda, we just put craft sticks into our frames and we will see if our bees will produce as much comb as yours. Colleen Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462220171983702171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-30669743722397572542013-05-16T12:18:37.892-04:002013-05-16T12:18:37.892-04:00Nevermind, I found his paper and read how he deter...Nevermind, I found his paper and read how he determined that these were not recolonized. <br />http://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/pdf/2007/01/m6063.pdf<br />Max Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-11994459104118771042013-05-16T11:19:25.987-04:002013-05-16T11:19:25.987-04:00Ok, thanks. I think many of the &quot;feral colon...Ok, thanks. I think many of the &quot;feral colonies&quot; are actually more recent swarms (1-2 years) that establish on old comb. <br /><br />http://www.honeybeesuite.com/romancing-the-swarm-the-dream-of-wild-bees/<br /><br />&quot;Statistics vary depending on the organization that did the survey, but current estimates put the number of wild colonies at around 2-5% of all colonies in the United States. Furthermore, investigators agree that of all those “wild” colonies, the overwhelming majority have swarmed from managed colonies within the last two years. In the age of Varroa mites, the chance of a colony surviving on its own for more than two winters is virtually zero.&quot;<br /><br />Max Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-89266942402596674302013-05-15T23:53:18.372-04:002013-05-15T23:53:18.372-04:00Dr. Seeley was quite clear that there are definite...Dr. Seeley was quite clear that there are definitely feral bees - that they are all gone is an unfounded rumor. Because he continues to find bee trees in that forest, he sees it as proof that there are indeed feral bees. These colonies were about 1/4 mile from each other, I believe. I don&#39;t think anyone asked him the artificial swarming/brood break question, Western Wilson, but he encouraged people to write him at Cornell with questions, so why don&#39;t you and then let us know what he says? He&#39;s a very approachable guy.Linda Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-81421380655665426812013-05-15T19:17:51.215-04:002013-05-15T19:17:51.215-04:00Sorry should edit befor posting. &quot;blipped out...Sorry should edit befor posting. &quot;blipped out&quot; &quot;if an Apis spp.&quot; etc.Max Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-65348839684306608402013-05-15T19:14:13.812-04:002013-05-15T19:14:13.812-04:00Another thought I had: Do you ever wonder why in ...Another thought I had: Do you ever wonder why in the U.S. we have over 4,000 native species of bee and not one of them forms a colony that persists over winter. Makes you wonder if the an Apis spp or relative tried to make it here before the white man brought them and then blimped out. I understand our reliance on the euro honey bee but maybe we&#39;re expecting too much to think they should survive on their own here.Max Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-68415717800378941212013-05-15T14:31:35.792-04:002013-05-15T14:31:35.792-04:00While I do not have enough land or the time to vis...While I do not have enough land or the time to visit it to run my colonies in isolation, I agree with Dr. Seeley that our present treatment based approach to Varroa has only succeeded in making better Varroa mites. We have to get off the treatment treadmill. On the swarming question, did he feel artificial swarming and brood breaks would achieve comparable positive effects in keeping Varroa populations down? As an urban beekeeper I cannot have the bees swarming as they like, and I do not want to lose half my colony every year. But I would gladly trade a high reproductive rate and high honey production for a bee that was winter hardy and Varroa tolerant.WesternWilsonhttp://planbeeproject.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-37901724637891517422013-05-15T09:18:54.066-04:002013-05-15T09:18:54.066-04:00I was under the impression that there were very fe...I was under the impression that there were very few (non africanized) feral bees left which suggests that they are not handling mite well. Does he have any numbers showing that these bees have fewer mites? Does the low density of bee trees suggest low survivorship or are they at maximum carrying capacity for the habitat? Max Fnoreply@blogger.com